Colombian superstar Shakira stopped by Oyster-Adams Bilingual Elementary School this morning as part of the school’s celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and President-Elect Obama’s call to service. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, having almost as busy a day as the President-Elect’s, also attended the event, but stayed in the audience and did not take the stage or offer any words.

The Oyster gymnasium, filled with about 200 kids and their parents, erupted when Shakira made her big entrance. The singer was joined by D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty on the stage, and they both read excerpts from a bilingual book titled, The Upside Down Boy/El nino de cabeza by Juan Felipe Herrera. The students presented Shakira with books for Oyster-Adams’s new sister school outside of Bogota, Colombia—Escuela Gabriel García Márquez. Shakira spoke on the importance of following your dreams and giving back to the community.

Reporting by Tracy K. Clayton; written by Sommer Mathis